First c section what do i pack??

[marie23]

Hi i am due to have my first cs just before xmas and was wondering if anyone could give me any suggestons as to what to pack in my hosp bag.

Thanku in advance

BIG pants

oh and a sports bottle so that you can drink some water without having to sit up.

Biiiig knickers. Preferably maternity ones that come right up over your tummy.

A V-pillow is handy for breastfeeding.

Otherwise just all the usual stuff.

Comfy pants
sanitary pads
your own pillow
feeding cushion
chocolate
comfy pjs
dressing gown
slippers

peppermint cordial incase you get wind which is very common after c-section apparently.

Book to read incase you are in longer than expected. Of course you may not need it as you may just end up staring at your baby in amazement for the entire time you are there!

maternity or big pyjamas
disposable big huge knickers
tons of big sanitary towels
I used tea tree oil in the shower to keep wound infection tree
Also took arnica 30c tablets for about a week beforehand and for a few weeks after (for internal and external bruising).

I second the book idea...something easy ready (chic lit??). 1st time I took something more heavy going and read about 2 pages, 2nd time I took a easy on the brain chic book

I think I used wing sanitary towels with big night ones over the top

Jogging bottoms/yoga pants that come up high.

DO not rely on maternity trousers. "Under bump" = "on the scar".

Big knickers that come up to your belly button
Jogging bottoms that are high up - so they dont rub on the scar
V shaped cushion for feeding

Good luck, hope it all goes well.

The BIG pants is the most important thing. I didn't get big enough pants and it was sore - M&S granny knickers were perfect, and so ridiculously comfy I admit to wearing them for longer than I really needed to

I was thinking about this the other day - some sort of stick would be handy for scooping your pants up off the floor after your first shower. No kidding - I can't be the only person who went for a shower the day after my (emergency) C-section and found the worst thing to be that I couldn't bend over to take off / put on my pants or to deal with the blood splattering on the floor (sorry, TMI probably). Very painful that.

Agree with book - or magazines, maybe an i-pod or something to drown out the never ending ward noises?

I can't really think of anything special that I wish I had had other than what I had in my hospital bag anyway.

Good luck

Big knickers definitely and someone suggested sanitary towels to stick in the front of them, over the wound, to keep it clean and dry. Mothercare do sterile twels for women who have cuts and tears and I've got some of those.

Have also had tummy holding support knickers suggested as they help everything feel secure. Holding a hand over your wound when you cough/sneeze really helps.

I am infection obsessed though as I got an infection in my last would and it was awful. Desperate for a better outcome this time...

V shaped cushion for feeding is also a must even if you decide to bottle feed as it stops baby sitting on your wound.

And make sure you have the shower when they tell you to. You won't feel like it and will worry about even straightening up but it's important.

And NEVER refuse pain relief when offered. You'll regret it 20 minutes later when the current batch wears off

Lol tallbirduk!

Big pants and no under bump stuff, far too sore! You need loose clothes that come up to waist (or where it used to be).

Maternity towels, loads. Paper pants were in fact good until I had M&S big ones.

Something for wind, constipation too. Apparently chewing gum after is supposed to help make you regular. Also, arnica tablets are supposed to help healing as well.

I read loads as babies are often very sleepy with c/s.

My biggest tip would be to expect WIND... Really, really BAD indigestion / wind / constipation.

OMG!! (TMI) but I had SUCH bad tummy pain / indigestion.

I just stuck to maternity pants / trousers until the scar was healed. I wouldn't buy anything else, just wear your maternity stuff!

agree - alwys take the pain relief!!

big knickers - go to primark or somewhere else where they are as cheap so you don't feel dreadful about just binning them.

lots of maternity pads

polos for the trapped wind

arnica - whoever said they took it beforehand I totally second that - start taking it a few weeks before your section and then on the day before and the day take one pillule every 30 mins - it gives a great boost and really aids healing

bottle of champagne - surprisingly with second section (frist was emergency) i completely bought into the whole idea. just a sip though!

nice chocolate

some prepared good food - M&S salads etc so you ahve soemthing decent to eat - a lot of recovery units aren't allowed to do toast now for elf & safety so decent food is a must

camera (black & white pref) or dvd camera - don't record the whole thing but the very last minute and then dc being sorted out and given to you / dh / dp is amazing to get - and then you can always remember what song the dc was born to

lip balm

cleaning wipes - pn wards are notoriously grubby especially in the shower etc

flipflops to wear in said shower

wrap dresses are great for bfing and also for afterwards with your big knickers

and do the stairs - even if it's just a few the first time you're up keep going - the more very gentle exercise you do the sooner you heal.

good luck - will look forward to seeing your birth announcement

I read somewhere that Arnica wasn't good for c-sections. I'll try to find where I read that...

Message withdrawn

here but it doesn't say why...

Flip flops for the shower which can be rather vile and you won't need to bend to put them on.

Yoga pants for leaving the hospital in or maternity trousers that come up high.

Cheap big knickers that reach your waist that you'd be happy to throw away. Bought some from Asda and they were indestructible! Washed better than my more expensive undies. Then big support knickers once the bleeding eases off a bit.

Lactulose

Tea tree for the wound and also to dot on the maternity pads (lochia has a unique smell)

Excellent idea Smac re the drinks bottle.

that would be interesting GS - it did me brilliantly on both mine - my wound apparently "superhealed" on the first section - jsut very quickly!

here is where they tell you what they think you should take...

Oh yes and lots of snacks. I kept getting bumped for emergencies and so didn't have mine until 5pm. Missed dinner on the ward and didn't have anything to eat until the next morning

I found this on another site "Arnica - A Homoeopathic remedy very well suited for usage during and after childbirth. The key symptoms on which to prescribe Arnica are feelings of soreness, lameness and a bruised feeling, also trauma ? mental or physical. It is perfect for use during an overly long labour where the mother is feeling tired and sore and for use after to help with postnatal bruising. Arnica is not indicated though where there skin is broken."

Not sure if that just refers to the cream or the tablets too though

Have everything set out close to hand on your bedside table for the first night as it will be difficult to move to get things

I had nighties cos couldnt stand the pjs anywhere near my scar x Also baby wipes cos i was the opposite to you ladies and had bad diahorrhea after so wipes were good for my botty ( well to tell the truth had to get dh to wipe as i couldnt twist to do it myself lol)